'Denial': Woman Urged To Dump Boyfriend as His Daughter Is Covered In Nits

A woman has been urged to "get rid" of her boyfriend after the man's response to discovering his 6-year-old daughter has nits.

The term "nits" refers to the eggs laid by adult female head louse, predominantly found around the base of the hair strand, close to the scalp.

While head lice are most common among pre-school children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 6 million to 12 million infestations occur in the U.S. every year among kids aged between 3 and 11.

Head lice are most commonly spread through direct contact with the hair of an infested person. That's why it's crucial that, once identified, steps are taken to prevent any further spread.

Yet one father has sparked fury on Mumsnet over what some have perceived as a neglectful approach to dealing with his daughter's nits. In fact, things have got so bad, it may even end up costing him his relationship.

Writing in the post under the handle Wowowowowow, the man's girlfriend claimed his daughter from a previous relationship is "covered in nits," yet he has refused to take action.

"My boyfriend is in denial that she has them," she wrote. "Yet I can clearly see them on top of her head. I've tried showing him and he's like 'Where? I can't see them.'"

Though she said he has tried to deal with them in the past, he never treats his daughter's hair "properly" using a comb, so the problem never gets resolved.

The situation was made even worse recently when, after a recent trip out together to the park, the woman's own daughter, who is 8, discovered "two massive lice in her hair." "She didn't have them the day before," the woman noted.

It's now reached a point where she is seriously considering their future together and has not seen him since their day out together. "This is really putting me off the relationship," she said. "How can someone not know their kids have so many nits?"

The response was similarly scathing on social media. Eatyourcrustspls commented: "It is neglect. I'd walk away," while seven201 wrote: "That is so sad. Sounds like he can't be bothered to sort it out and that is neglectful. Poor little girl."

Tiani4 said: "He's not a keeper. You don't want to be around someone who cares so little for his daughter's comfort that he can't be bothered to nit comb nor respond when another parent says they can see an infestation of nits in his child's hair."

NannyWeatherWitch told her to "dump his sorry a**" with Philisophigal also urging the woman to "get rid now" adding: "That is not an adult."

Funkyblues101, meanwhile, was keen to highlight the seriousness of the situation. "It isn't 'slight' neglect, it is a definition of neglect," they said. "Sustained head lice cause genuine medical problems, the poor child. Your boyfriend needs to pull his finger out and be a responsible parent."

Newsweek has contacted Wowowowowow for comment.